Wapatoolie
Commonwealth Brewing Company

 

Listed as an AIPA, I would have categorized it as a NE IPA. In any case, it is a very good beer. Purchased at the Casual Pint in Va Beach ( a great place to find local beers). Poured a hazy straw yellow color with a big foamy head. Thick bands of foamy lacing around the glass and very good head retention. Aroma and flavor feature a heavy dose of tropical fruit Pineapple primarily but some mango too) and a good level of bitterness. A little "dankness" too. Very flavorful and nicely bitter. Mouthfeel is rich, with minimal alcohol presence, and nicely bitter. Goes down very well. This is a very good beer, another alternative to the Tidewater favorite strong IPA, El Guapo from O'Connor.

 

 

 

 

I tried this at the Butcher's Son in Chesapeake, VA. It poured a hazy orangish with white head that left a spotty lace. The scent had fruit notes. The taste was affected by an overprimed can so I am sure this is better off the tapper than what I experienced. I could tell there was fruit presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with fizzy carbonation. Overall it's an ok beer.

 

 

 

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. March 29th 2018.

Slightly clear bodied, with a good mix of beaming orange and dark chestnut brown edges for the body color. Clear enough to see some fine carbonation, but opaque enough to provide a good light bulb orange glow. Big easy controlled white and fine swiss cheese bubbled head. Makes a tall three finger plus height, and good island top. Sheets of ring lacing, make for a fine all around appearance.

Nose is strangely quiet. A faint touch of caramel, almost toffee crisp like malt, but really.. Nothing? There's hardly any sense of hop aroma on this at all. Makes for a very neutral brew on the nose.

Palate makes some very lacking pleasure. A solid malt backbone barely makes for at least an average drinking experience. Muted bitterness with a very indistinct malt flavor of all things. Watery hop quality and hard to even pick an angle other than maybe papper packet pepper bitterness.

I'd say more but, I can't, cause while this isn't awful, there is just nothing going on here which is kind of shocking in the IPA realm.

Hazy, but not egregiously. Gold with a greenish tint. Big white head with good retention and lacing.
Lots of pinapple and mango aroma, just a hint of dank.
Big hop flavor that follows the aroma, plus a little pine. Not much in the way of malt. Nice bitterness for a NEIPA. Not sweet at all.
Full bodied with nice carbonation
Definitely one of the better NEIPAs out there.

 

 

L - 2-finger fluffy white head atop a translucent yellow body.

S - tropical fruits, citrus, a lot of pine, a little dankness.

T - grapefruit/citrus push to start. Herbal middle, with some dankness. Cough medicine edge is offputting but thankfully fleeting. Mildly boozy, mildly sweet, moderately bitter.

F - medium body with high carb.

O - The way they used to make these things 5 years ago.

 

 

 

Pours a hazy, dark yellow color with a thick, large, white, head. Smells of pineapple and grapefruit, very mild scents. Taste includes pepper notes, grapefruit, mild astringency, and a mild amount of bitterness. Medium body, Its an okay NEIPA, don't think I'd buy it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one pours a mildly hazy and mostly clear orange, with a small fluffy head, and lots of lacing.

This has a nice peppery and mildly funky Brett character, with some pineapple, and heavy grassy hop flavors.

This has a restrained and well-integrated Brett character to it- it's not out of control like it can sometimes be. There's lots of pineapple and a heavy grassy/piney bitterness. There's some grapefruit rind, too.

This is light bodied, with a little astringency on the finish, and a good level of carbonation.

This is a cute little beer.

 

 

 

16oz can with Lisa at home, about $5 from CBC. Beautiful can and a good looking pour with thick lacing, so far, so good. Nose is off though with some rough phenols and plastic mixing with coconut and pineapple. Picked out the Brett Trois right away - sometimes this yeast can kick off some nasty phenols like this, maybe too high of a ferm temp? Taste is better with a smoother profile of citrus, tangerine, pineapple. Moutfeel is pretty nice, smpoth, well carbed, medium light body. If they can figure out the aroma issue, this might be a really nice beer - could up the body a bit too.

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass.

Appearance: Golden color with a thick white head.

Smell: Strong citrus and floral notes.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Smooth medium bodied. Taste of sweeter citrus and bitter hops.

Overall: Good IPA. I would have this one again.

Excellent pour from the Cheese Store in Williamsburg, Virginia. Loved the fruity, tropical flavors especially the aftertaste. Will definitely be trying this one again. Thank you to the Cheese Store staff for setting this up. UPDATE: Got two growlers from Commonwealth after my wife asked to go and get some....she loved it and she's not a microbrew drinker. Definitely loved the taste the more I had it!